The Middletown Township Public Library is pleased to announce that Amy J. Kearns will join the staff as Assistant Director / Manager of Adult Services on July 27, 2010. She will replace longtime library employee and Assistant Director JoAnn Strano, who is retiring.

Amy has her undergraduate and Master of Library and Information Science degree from Rutgers University, where she is a part-time instructor on the topic of information technologies. She previously worked in the Clifton and Paterson public libraries before her most recent position as the Program Coordinator for the Central Jersey Regional Library Cooperative.

Her experience in information technology includes the development of new programs and workshops for the CJRLC, a consortium of over five hundred member libraries, presentations at state and national library organizations, workshops in libraries and one-on-one training. “Amy is an unabashed change agent,” said Susan O’Neal, Director of the Middletown Library. “We have every expectation that Amy will help us use the same technology that our customers favor and channel it to meet library needs and improve services.”

Ms. Kearns has experience developing and using webinars for training purposes. According to O’Neal, use of web-based training has reduced continuing education and training costs for the library, and that Ms. Kearns will be putting her skills to work to create a series of information literacy webinars for the public to access from work, school or home. A sample class might be on how to do research on the library’s databases, replicating instruction that is provided in-house, but for participants, who, for whatever reason, cannot come to the library itself.

Duties will include management of the Adult Services Department, selection of reference department materials, personnel administration, staff continuing education and subscription database management. The Assistant Director is on the management team, participates or leads several internal committees, and is the person-in-charge in the absence of the library director.

When asked to comment on this appointment, Ms Kearns said, “The Middletown Township Public Library is a model of excellent and creative library service and I am honored to have the opportunity to work with Susan O’Neal and the talented staff. I am very excited about joining the library team and providing service to the Middletown Township community.”

The Middletown Township Public Library is located at 55 New Monmouth Road, just off Hwy 35. For information about the library and its services check out the website: www.mtul.org.

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